The Joint Entrance Examination-Mains (JEE-Mains) 2017 was held on Sunday for admission in engineering colleges, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Around 10 lakh students from across the country appeared for the offline exam and gave a thumbs-up to the paper.
Here is an analysis of the question paper:
Overall exam was of moderate difficulty level
Overall the JEE (Main) 2017 was of moderate level. Many of the questions were straight forward and could be easily solved by a student who has been preparing sincerely for the exam. But some tricky questions were there too, which will play crucial role in distinguishing the top scorers.
In all the three subjects, 5-6 questions were framed quite differently. However there was no ambiguous question in the paper this year.
In Physics paper, overall questions were on easier side and straight forward as compared to last year. By and large, paper was on the expected lines without any element of surprise. Almost all the topics covered were prescribed by the CBSE for JEE (Main).
Mathematics, overall paper was good. Two-three questions were lengthy, but few questions were straight forward as well. Questions were asked from all chapters. Questions asked were conceptual and nearer to the JEE advanced paper in terms of tricks and approach. Students confined to the NCERT and related text books would find it difficult.
In Chemistry, question paper was quite balanced. Equal weightage was given to Physical, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry. However there was no question from topics like States of Matter, Chemistry in Everyday Life. Unlike last year, this year most of the questions were conceptual while lesser number of questions were memory based.
Students who took coaching will have an edge in terms of speed and thus overall score.
Expected cut off 100 +- 5
There have been a lot of similarities between this year’s and last year’s papers.
JEE Main, 2017 seems to have been moderately easy yet lengthy, with questions from some subjects being even lengthier than last year. The weightage of marks tilted towards questions from the 12th standard syllabi.
Physics was considered to be moderate in difficulty and length, with most finding it easier than the last year. Students encountered more calculative questions than theory-based. The weightage of marks tilted towards the 12th standard syllabus with 19 questions, while 11 questions were picked from the 11th standard syllabus.
Constitutionally, the paper had 11 questions from Mechanics, 8 questions from Electrodynamics, 3 questions from Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory, 2 from Optics and Wave Optics – which was a surprise for most – and 6 questions from Modern Physics and Nuclear Physics.
Chemistry was considered the easiest of all three papers, with a difficulty curve similar to last year. The questions asked this year were more theoretical than calculative, making it the quickest subject to solve.
The weightage of marks tilted towards the 12th standard syllabus, with 17 questions chosen from it and the remaining 13 chosen from the 11th standard syllabus. Constitutionally, the paper had 8 questions from Organic Chemistry, 11 from Inorganic Chemistry and 11 from Physical Chemistry.
Mathematics was considered by most to be the most difficult of the three subjects, purely due to its lengthiness, despite being comparatively easier than last year.
While questions were based on simple formulae, a lot of them were calculation-based. The weightage of marks was unequal with 20 questions chosen from 12th standard and 10 from 11th standard. Constitutionally, the paper contained 15 questions from Algebra, 6 from Calculus, 3 from Trigonometry, 3 from Conics and 3 from Vector Algebra.
Expected cut off to lie between 97 and 102.
JEE Main Answer Key – Set A
| Physics | Chemistry | Maths | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q 1 | 4 | Q 31 | 1 | Q 61 | 2 |
| Q 2 | 3 | Q 32 | 2 | Q 62 | 3 |
| Q 3 | 3 | Q 33 | 1 | Q 63 | 4 |
| Q 4 | 1 | Q 34 | 2 | Q 64 | 2 |
| Q 5 | 2 | Q 35 | 2 | Q 65 | 1 |
| Q 6 | 1 | Q 36 | 3 | Q 66 | 4 |
| Q 7 | 4 | Q 37 | 2 | Q 67 | 3 |
| Q 8 | 2 | Q 38 | 2 | Q 68 | 1 |
| Q 9 | 1 | Q 39 | 2 | Q 69 | 4 |
| Q 10 | 2 | Q 40 | 4 | Q 70 | 1 |
| Q 11 | 4 | Q 41 | 3 | Q 71 | 4 |
| Q 12 | 4 | Q 42 | 4 | Q 72 | 4 |
| Q 13 | 3 | Q 43 | 3 | Q 73 | 2 |
| Q 14 | 3 | Q 44 | 1 | Q 74 | 1 |
| Q 15 | 4 | Q 45 | 2 | Q 75 | 1 |
| Q 16 | 3 | Q 46 | 1 | Q 76 | 3 |
| Q 17 | 4 | Q 47 | 2 | Q 77 | 4 |
| Q 18 | 1 | Q 48 | 2 | Q 78 | 3 |
| Q 19 | 1 | Q 49 | 1 | Q 79 | 2 |
| Q 20 | 3 | Q 50 | 2 | Q 80 | 1 |
| Q 21 | 1 | Q 51 | 1 | Q 81 | 1 |
| Q 22 | 1 | Q 52 | 3 | Q 82 | 2 |
| Q 23 | 2 | Q 53 | 3 | Q 83 | 1 |
| Q 24 | 3 | Q 54 | 2 | Q 84 | 1 |
| Q 25 | 4 | Q 55 | 4 | Q 85 | 4 |
| Q 26 | 2 | Q 56 | 4 | Q 86 | 1 |
| Q 27 | 4 | Q 57 | 3 | Q 87 | 3 |
| Q 28 | 1 | Q 58 | 2 | Q 88 | 3 |
| Q 29 | 2 | Q 59 | 3 | Q 89 | 2 |
| Q 30 | 2 | Q 60 | 3 | Q 90 | 4 |
JEE Main Answer Key – Set B
| Physics | Maths | Chemistry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q 1 | 2 | Q 31 | 1 | Q 61 | 3 |
| Q 2 | 2 | Q 32 | 1 | Q 62 | 3 |
| Q 3 | 4 | Q 33 | 4 | Q 63 | 2 |
| Q 4 | 4 | Q 34 | 2 | Q 64 | 4 |
| Q 5 | 3 | Q 35 | 3 | Q 65 | 2 |
| Q 6 | 3 | Q 36 | 1 | Q 66 | 1 |
| Q 7 | 4 | Q 37 | 3 | Q 67 | 3 |
| Q 8 | 3 | Q 38 | 2 | Q 68 | 1 |
| Q 9 | 4 | Q 39 | 2 | Q 69 | 4 |
| Q 10 | 1 | Q 40 | 3 | Q 70 | 1 |
| Q 11 | 2 | Q 41 | 2 | Q 71 | 4 |
| Q 12 | 4 | Q 42 | 3 | Q 72 | 4 |
| Q 13 | 4 | Q 43 | 4 | Q 73 | 4 |
| Q 14 | 1 | Q 44 | 4 | Q 74 | 1 |
| Q 15 | 3 | Q 45 | 3 | Q 75 | 2 |
| Q 16 | 3 | Q 46 | 2 | Q 76 | 1 |
| Q 17 | 2 | Q 47 | 3 | Q 77 | 3 |
| Q 18 | 2 | Q 48 | 2 | Q 78 | 1 |
| Q 19 | 1 | Q 49 | 1 | Q 79 | 3 |
| Q 20 | 4 | Q 50 | 3 | Q 80 | 2 |
| Q 21 | 3 | Q 51 | 1 | Q 81 | 4 |
| Q 22 | 2 | Q 52 | 3 | Q 82 | 2 |
| Q 23 | 2 | Q 53 | 3 | Q 83 | 4 |
| Q 24 | 1 | Q 54 | 2 | Q 84 | 4 |
| Q 25 | 3 | Q 55 | 4 | Q 85 | 4 |
| Q 26 | 3 | Q 56 | 2 | Q 86 | 1 |
| Q 27 | 1 | Q 57 | 3 | Q 87 | 3 |
| Q 28 | 1 | Q 58 | 1 | Q 88 | 2 |
| Q 29 | 2 | Q 59 | 3 | Q 89 | 1 |
| Q 30 | 1 | Q 60 | 4 | Q 90 | 1 |
JEE Main Answer Key – Set C
| Chemistry | Maths | Physics | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q 1 | 1 | Q 31 | 4 | Q 61 | 2 |
| Q 2 | 1 | Q 32 | 4 | Q 62 | 1 |
| Q 3 | 3 | Q 33 | 2 | Q 63 | 3 |
| Q 4 | 4 | Q 34 | 3 | Q 64 | 2 |
| Q 5 | 3 | Q 35 | 3 | Q 65 | 1 |
| Q 6 | 4 | Q 36 | 3 | Q 66 | 1 |
| Q 7 | 2 | Q 37 | 4 | Q 67 | 1 |
| Q 8 | 3 | Q 38 | 1 | Q 68 | 1 |
| Q 9 | 3 | Q 39 | 3 | Q 69 | 3 |
| Q 10 | 3 | Q 40 | 2 | Q 70 | 2 |
| Q 11 | 2 | Q 41 | 4 | Q 71 | 3 |
| Q 12 | 1 | Q 42 | 2 | Q 72 | 4 |
| Q 13 | 3 | Q 43 | 4 | Q 73 | 3 |
| Q 14 | 2 | Q 44 | 1 | Q 74 | 1 |
| Q 15 | 2 | Q 45 | 4 | Q 75 | 1 |
| Q 16 | 4 | Q 46 | 2 | Q 76 | 2 |
| Q 17 | 1 | Q 47 | 3 | Q 77 | 4 |
| Q 18 | 2 | Q 48 | 3 | Q 78 | 4 |
| Q 19 | 3 | Q 49 | 4 | Q 79 | 4 |
| Q 20 | 1 | Q 50 | 4 | Q 80 | 4 |
| Q 21 | 4 | Q 51 | 2 | Q 81 | 3 |
| Q 22 | 3 | Q 52 | 3 | Q 82 | 2 |
| Q 23 | 4 | Q 53 | 1 | Q 83 | 4 |
| Q 24 | 1 | Q 54 | 4 | Q 84 | 4 |
| Q 25 | 1 | Q 55 | 1 | Q 85 | 4 |
| Q 26 | 1 | Q 56 | 4 | Q 86 | 3 |
| Q 27 | 1 | Q 57 | 2 | Q 87 | 2 |
| Q 28 | 2 | Q 58 | 1 | Q 88 | 2 |
| Q 29 | 2 | Q 59 | 1 | Q 89 | 3 |
| Q 30 | 1 | Q 60 | 3 | Q 90 | 3 |
JEE Main Answer Key – Set D
| Maths | Physics | Chemistry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q 1 | 2 | Q 31 | 3 | Q 61 | 1 |
| Q 2 | 1 | Q 32 | 3 | Q 62 | 2 |
| Q 3 | 4 | Q 33 | 2 | Q 63 | 3 |
| Q 4 | 2 | Q 34 | 3 | Q 64 | 2 |
| Q 5 | 1 | Q 35 | 2 | Q 65 | 2 |
| Q 6 | 4 | Q 36 | 3 | Q 66 | 4 |
| Q 7 | 3 | Q 37 | 3 | Q 67 | 4 |
| Q 8 | 4 | Q 38 | 2 | Q 68 | 1 |
| Q 9 | 2 | Q 39 | 1 | Q 69 | 3 |
| Q 10 | 1 | Q 40 | 3 | Q 70 | 4 |
| Q 11 | 1 | Q 41 | 4 | Q 71 | 1 |
| Q 12 | 3 | Q 42 | 2 | Q 72 | 1 |
| Q 13 | 3 | Q 43 | 4 | Q 73 | 3 |
| Q 14 | 2 | Q 44 | 4 | Q 74 | 1 |
| Q 15 | 2 | Q 45 | 2 | Q 75 | 1 |
| Q 16 | 2 | Q 46 | 1 | Q 76 | 4 |
| Q 17 | 2 | Q 47 | 1 | Q 77 | 4 |
| Q 18 | 2 | Q 48 | 4 | Q 78 | 2 |
| Q 19 | 3 | Q 49 | 1 | Q 79 | 2 |
| Q 20 | 2 | Q 50 | 4 | Q 80 | 3 |
| Q 21 | 2 | Q 51 | 1 | Q 81 | 3 |
| Q 22 | 1 | Q 52 | 3 | Q 82 | 3 |
| Q 23 | 4 | Q 53 | 1 | Q 83 | 4 |
| Q 24 | 1 | Q 54 | 4 | Q 84 | 3 |
| Q 25 | 4 | Q 55 | 1 | Q 85 | 4 |
| Q 26 | 1 | Q 56 | 2 | Q 86 | 4 |
| Q 27 | 1 | Q 57 | 1 | Q 87 | 3 |
| Q 28 | 3 | Q 58 | 2 | Q 88 | 3 |
| Q 29 | 4 | Q 59 | 2 | Q 89 | 2 |
| Q 30 | 2 | Q 60 | 4 | Q 90 | 4 |
The cut-off score is determined by the difficulty level of the exam paper and is also proportional to the availability of the number of seats in the admission process.
Important Dates For JEE Main 2017:
| S.No. | Event | Dates |
| 1 | Offline JEE Main 2017 Exam | 2 April 2017 |
| 2 | Computer Based Exam | 8 and 9 April 2017 |
| 3 | Answer Key | 18-22 April 2017 |
| 4 | OMR Response Sheet availability | 18-22 April 2017 |
| 5 | Result | 27 April 2017 |
| 6 | Rank List | 27 April 2017 |
| 7 | Counselling through JOSAA 2017 | July 2017 |
Challenging the JEE Main 2017 Answer Key
Candidates who are not satisfied with the answers provided in the official JEE Main 2017 answer key will be able to challenge the same, from 18th April 2017, to 22nd April 2017. The official answer keys will be put up on the official website of JEE Main.
Steps to challenge the answer key:
- Login on the official website of JEE Main, by filling in your login credentials.
- Navigate to answer key and OMR display on the official website.
- Fill out the application form to challenge the answer key.
- Select the question you want to challenge, and pay the fees. Challenging one question will cost 1000/-.
- Fee can be paid through debit/credit cards and e-challan.
- Submit the challenge.
JEE Main 2017 Cutoff:
This is the minimum marks a candidate needs to secure in JEE Main 2017 to qualify for JEE Advanced 2017. Every year, this cutoff score keeps on changing, varying as per the difficulty level of the paper, the number of seats up on offer, number of candidates appearing and various other factors. The cutoffs will be announced once JEE Main 2017 results are out. Here are the past 2 years’ cutoffs, to get you a fair idea-
JEE Main 2016 cutoffs:
| S.No | Category | Cutoff score |
| 1. | General | 100 |
| 2. | OBC-NCL | 70 |
| 3. | SC | 52 |
| 4. | ST | 48 |
JEE Main 2015 cutoff:
| Sr. No | Category | Cutoff Score |
| 1. | General | 105 |
| 2. | OBC-NCL | 70 |
| 3. | SC | 50 |
| 4. | ST | 44 |